Before teething, nightly routines were easy. She would sleep 9-10 hours straight at night. Now I'm lucky if she goes 3 hours in a row. It reminds me of the first month after she was born: I am exhausted every morning and night-time seems to drag on for an eternity. After spending the last 2 weeks thinking I needed to "solve" this issue, I read a wonderful post on the wonderful pediatrician Dr. Sear's website. He basically states that once teething begins, all bets for a restful night's sleep are off. He also reminds parents that it is a fairly recent myth (started sometime in the 1970's) that infants should be sleeping through the night. He suggests that it is actually more normal for a 6-10 month old child who is teething to be waking up off and on throughout the night. This instantly made me feel better about the situation, and helped me relax. Sometimes I just need a kind reminder that Josephine is a baby, babies have their own sleep routines, and we as parents signed-up for respecting their routines while they are small.
That said, Dr. Sears (and others) do suggest a few things that can be done to help a teething baby feel more comfortable, which may in turn help mom and dad (as well as baby) get a few more hours of sleep each night.
1. Cold things (wet rag in freezer, frozen waffle, frozen banana, cold chewy toys, etc.). We have two frozen toys that are soft and made for teething that we give to Little Bear during the day. We have two so that one can always be in the freezer, ready to go. She LOVES them and knows exactly what they are. As soon as she sees it she gets excited, reaches out for it, and sticks it directly in her mouth. Great for day time, not so much at night.
2. Camilia liquid vials. I started using these vials several weeks ago when I noticed that Little Bear looked uncomfortable. It seemed to help a little. The effect at night, however, didn't seem to be as strong as in the day. They contain German chamomile (relieves teething pain), poke (also relieves pain), and Chinese rhubarb (relieves stomach upset related to teething). They come in small plastic vials of clear liquid that have no flavor.
3. Hyland's Teething Tablets. Small little pellets that can be dissolved in water and then rubbed on the gums, or placed directly in the mouth. They are cherry flavored and Little Bear loves them. I've only used them twice so far, but they seem to work for short periods of time (1-2 hours). They contain chamomile (calming and pain relieving), coffea cruda (helps calm the nervous system and assist in getting rest), Belladona (eases redness, inflammation, and discomfort), and Calcarea Phosphorica (supports teeth formation). I was a little concerned when I read "Belladona" on the ingredient list. I recognized it as a pain medication we used at the hospital on patients. After reading information on the dosage amounts in the tablets, however, I felt 100% comfortable giving it to Little Bear. Here is information from their website: "The amount of Belladonna alkaloids in teething tablets is minuscule, especially when compared to conventional medicine. Conventional medicines typically use 0.2 to 5 mg of Belladonna alkaloids per tablet as an anti-spasmodic – roughly 1,000 to 25,000 times larger than the quantities used in Hyland’s Teething Tablets. The side effects sometimes caused by conventional medicines delivering more than 0.2 mg of Belladonna alkaloids – such as dry mouth, blurred vision and urinary retention – are not associated with homeopathic medicines because of their minute dosage.To put homeopathic dosages in perspective, typically a 10-pound child would need to ingest 1,000 Hyland’s Teething Tablets (at least 6 bottles of 125 tablets) to exhibit even the first possible side effect of Belladonna."
There was recently a recall on Hyland's Teething Tablets. Please visit this website to see specific UPC codes that were recalled.
3. Infant's Tylenol. I haven't used this yet, but I think I will pick some up today at the store to see if it helps Little Bear at night. She is definitely uncomfortable during the night hours and I'd like to find something to help! Dr. Sears recommends 7 mg per pound of body weight every 4 hours. Little Bear weighs 16 pounds, so she would receive 112 mg. Make sure that you calculate dosages right for infants if you choose to use Tylenol (Children's Tylenol is usually 160 mg per teaspoon ... I am not sure what infant dosages are). It takes 45-60 minutes to kick in, so plan accordingly if giving before bedtime. NOTE: Overdosing a child on Tylenol is extremely serious and can cause long-term injury or death. Make sure you use Infant or Children's Tylenol and dose correctly!
4. Infant/Pediatric Motrin. This medication can also be used for teething, like Children's Tylenol. I have yet to use this, either. Though it does not give dosing for under 2 years of age on the box, it has been approved down to 2 months of age. The dose is 4.5 mg per pound of body weight every 6 hours. It takes about 30 minutes to begin working. NOTE: Like Tylenol, Motrin is medication and can cause overdose if not given properly. Make sure you use according to dosing instructions.
5. Children's Benadryl. This one is not recommended by all doctors, but is by some. A local pharmacist gave me this suggestion, so I did some research on it. If using Children's Benadryl for teething, it should only be used as a topical solution to rub on the gums in very small amounts (dip your finger in the liquid medication once or twice and rub on gums). NOTE: Benadryl can cause respiratory depression in larger amounts. Personally, I felt safe rubbing it on Little Bear's gums. However, it only worked well for 2-3 hours and then wore off. I feel better using the Tylenol or Motrin as a medication.
6. Breastfeeding and Bed-sharing. Little Bear usually sleeps in our room, in her own crib. However, with her frequent awakenings during the night, I found that moving her into bed with us and allowing her to nurse helped to calm her and get her back to sleep. We don't normally bed-share with Little Bear because I just don't sleep well with her moving around right next to me. So while this solution works great for Little Bear, it doesn't work well for me. It is better than getting up, nursing, then trying to put her back in her crib, though.
I'm sure there are many other medications and natural remedies to help ease the pain of teething. I'm open to suggestions and possibilities. In the meantime, I'm trying to be patient, take more naps when Little Bear does, and remember that "this too shall pass."
No comments:
Post a Comment